'Tis the season for giving
With just over a week left in Concordia’s annual Centraide campaign, organizers are rallying for a final fundraising push. “We’re at 66 per cent of our $200,000 goal, but we have a small number of givers who are responsible for a large proportion of that,” says Enza De Cubellis, director of administration for the Office of the Vice-President, Institutional Relations and Secretary-General, which runs the campaign. “What I’d love to see is a higher participation level.”
Concordia’s campaign is just slightly outperforming the Montreal-wide campaign, which raises money for 360 community organizations. So far, Centraide of Greater Montreal has raised 65.25 per cent of its stated goal of $59 million.
De Cubellis says some members of the Concordia community may not realize that when they donate to the university’s campaign, they are automatically entered in a draw for several prizes. “As soon as you donate online, whether it’s by credit card or through a payroll deduction, whether it’s a one-time donation or monthly, your name is entered in the draw. Or even if you hand in a pledge form; as long as you donate through the Concordia campaign, you’re in.”
Prizes include two Nikon camera kits, a $75 gift certificate for Restaurant Fino, three $200 vouchers toward tuition fees at the Centre for Continuing Education, a voucher for a one-night stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Westmount, two tickets to the Centaur Theatre production of In Absentia, and a $50 gift certificate from Royal Photo.
Last week’s spaghetti luncheon in the lobby of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex raised $1,300 for the campaign. Another spaghetti luncheon takes place this Thursday, November 10 in the Richard J. Renaud Science Complex (Room SP-S1-199) on the Loyola Campus. The third and final spaghetti luncheon will be held on the last day of the campaign, November 17, in the lobby of the J.W. McConnell Library Building on the Sir George Williams Campus.
The 21st edition of the Campus Retail Stores Book Fair is also being held this week in the atrium of the Library Building. A portion of the sales will go to the Centraide campaign.
A new Centraide fundraising activity at Concordia this year is a silent auction. Bidding sheets will be circulated at the pasta luncheons and other events until November 17. Bids may be placed on a hockey stick autographed by Montreal Canadiens Captain Brian Gionta. Tickets for Concordia’s annual Centraide raffle are $10 each, or three for $20, and among the prizes are an LCD TV and an iPad.
In 2010, Montreal’s Centraide campaign raised $55.1 million, most of which came from donors in the workplace. The lion’s share of the money raised (87 per cent) goes to help the agencies supported by the campaign. The rest covers the campaign’s administration and communication costs. Centraide Montreal estimates that the agencies supported by its campaign help over half a million people in the city.
There are 25 Centraide ambassadors working in the various departments on both campuses. To learn more about the campaign, help out, or make a donation email: centraide@concordia.ca.
Concordia Centraide campaign events
What: Campus Retail Stores Book Sale
When: Wednesday, November 9, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday, November 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Atrium of the J.W. McConnell Library Building (1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.)
What: Pasta lunch 2
When: Thursday, November 10, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Richard J. Renaud Science Complex on Loyola Campus (7141 Sherbrooke St. W.)
What: Pasta lunch 3
When: Thursday, November 17, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Lobby of the J.W. McConnell Library Building (1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.), Sir George Williams Campus
Related links:
• Concordia Centraide Campaign
• Centraide of Greater Montreal
• “Helping Those in Need” — NOW, November 1, 2011
• “Month-long Centraide appeal begins week of October 17” — NOW, October 18, 2011